Chapter 11

The next day.

Today is the high school entrance exam mobilization rally.

When He Chen and the others arrived at school, the playground was already fluttering with red flags and colorful banners, brimming with lively energy.

“All settled?”

His desk mate, Du Tiantian, asked him in a whisper as soon as she saw him.

“What could possibly be wrong?” He Chen replied with a smile.

The one scolded was merely the grade group leader, not the principal, and the matter involved some unspoken remarks from the vice district chief. Seeing that He Chen was not someone to be trifled with, everyone naturally smoothed things over and let the issue fade away.

Of course, Ruan Yi’s status as a professor at a prestigious university also played a role.

“You’re awesome!” Du Tiantian gasped.

“Will your queen mother be coming today?” He Chen asked curiously.

“My mom’s abroad on a business trip—my aunt is coming instead,” Du Tiantian said, then complained: “You’ve really changed since summer vacation. Calling my mom ‘queen mother’? What’s that supposed to mean? My mom is gentle, not domineering at all—she’s not some queen mother!”

He Chen smiled without replying, thinking: “If not your mom, then who else is the queen mother?”

The original body had average grades, average memory, and limited abilities in other areas—but he paid close attention to these beautiful aunts.

So when He Chen merged the memories, he remembered the mother of his desk mate—whom he’d only seen once—with crystal clarity, instantly recognizing her as the national treasure of the female kingdom, the queen mother.

“Your aunt is an ER doctor, busier than anyone, yet she still came to your mobilization rally. Your mom is even busier—doesn’t that make her the queen mother who runs a big enterprise and handles ten thousand affairs daily?”

“I wish I could help her sooner,” Du Tiantian said with concern. “But I’m not old enough yet.”

For an ordinary second-generation kid, he’d surely whine about not wanting to inherit the family business, insisting on forging his own path through hard work to win everything on a different track—only to fail repeatedly, get tangled in love affairs and hookups, then naturally “awaken on the battlefield,” “strive to succeed,” and finally return home to inherit the business, all while declaring “I was wrong!”

Du Tiantian wasn’t that pretentious. He was straightforward: his goal in studying hard was simply to return home and inherit the family business as soon as possible.

And he didn’t want to inherit it to show off or chase girls—he wanted to ease the burden on his single mother.

“Later, please tell your aunt I’d like to ask her for a favor,” He Chen said without elaborating, patted Du Tiantian’s shoulder, and changed the subject—each family had its own hard-to-recite scripture.

“What favor?” Du Tiantian stared at He Chen in surprise.

What favor could He Chen possibly need from his aunt?

He was increasingly convinced his desk mate had changed. Before, he never mentioned his family at all; now he brought them up constantly, with none of the awkwardness expected of a teenager—it felt strange.

“Your aunt’s a doctor, and a highly skilled one. Ruan Liuzheng is determined to study medicine. When your aunt arrives, I’d like to bring Ruan Liuzheng to her for advice—to understand what studying medicine is really like.” He Chen explained: “Since they’re both girls, your aunt can give Ruan Liuzheng a clear picture, so she doesn’t overestimate herself or underestimate how brutal medicine really is.”

“Oh, I see,” Du Tiantian understood. “No problem—I’ll tell her when I see her. She’ll definitely agree.”

He teased He Chen: “Didn’t know you cared so much about Ruan Liuzheng. Your aunt’s a top graduate from overseas—she knows the ins and outs of medical education both at home and abroad. She can give anyone serious about medicine the best guidance and save them from countless detours.”

“She’s Ruan Yi’s daughter,” He Chen replied with a smile, then called Du Tiantian to join him as they followed the rest of the class out of the classroom toward the playground.

On the playground, each class stood together in formation.

On the stands, teachers were guiding arriving parents to their children’s class seating areas, with constant greetings and small talk.

In the line of Class 2, Senior 3.

Ruan Liuzheng and Xia Xue stood together. Xia Xue was quietly reciting her speech, glancing at her notes occasionally. As one of the top students and a cheerful, outgoing girl, she had defeated Huang Zhitao and others to become the student representative for Senior 3 and would soon speak on stage. Seeing her best friend nervously scanning the stands, she put down her script and teased: “You still worried your mom won’t come?”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Ruan Liuzheng shook her head.

She was concerned about whether her mother, upon arriving, would sit with the parents of Class 2, Senior 3—or with those of Class 7.

When she saw Ruan Lu enter, guided by a teacher, and sit with the parents of Class 2, Senior 3, she couldn’t help but smile.

After the entire Senior 3 grade paraded around the playground, the speeches began.

First, the principal.

Then, the parent representative.

Unexpected yet logical: this year’s parent representative was Ji Yangyang’s father, who had just returned to town—he had bypassed Yuan Hua’s district chief father to deliver the speech.

As He Chen observed the chubby, authoritative man striding confidently onto the stage, he sensed a gaze directed his way. He followed it.

Several classes away, Ji Yangyang, standing in the last row, had already turned his gaze away, looking at his father on stage with a cold, arrogant disdain.

He Chen smiled faintly and looked away.

Using this kind of act to show he doesn’t rely on his dad? So childish!

Ji Yangyang had been watching He Chen’s reaction out of the corner of his eye. His arrogant, disdainful expression froze on his face. He clenched his fists. Amid the teasing chants of classmates—“Ji Da Shao, your dad’s awesome!”—he snapped back a single word: “Fuck off.”

Showing off and playing cool requires an audience. Otherwise, you just look like an idiot.

He Chen’s genuine indifference and contempt were far more damaging than Ji Yangyang’s performative coldness.

When Xia Xue stepped onto the stage as student representative to initiate the oath ceremony, a sudden outcry erupted—and the entire playground burst into chaos.

A student holding a camera on the upper stands had lost control of it; the camera slipped and got caught on the canopy, about to fall at any moment.

The height wasn’t extreme, but if it fell, serious injury was likely.

Everyone looked closer—it was none other than Fang Yifan.

Ordinary-looking, bottom of the class, no impressive family background—he was the one who loved attention the most.

Now, if there was no attention to be had, he’d create it anyway.

As the crowd gathered around him, unable to catch him before he fell, lying motionless on the ground, pandemonium broke out. Even his childhood friend, the top student Qiao Yingzi, and the goddess Huang Zhitao, looked anxious.

“I just wanted to take a photo for everyone,” Fang Yifan weakly lifted his finger to explain.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Li Tie said, knowing his intent. He quickly assured him: “The teacher isn’t blaming you. Pan Teacher, go get the school nurse and a stretcher!” Then he spotted He Chen standing nearby, calm, almost amused—like he was watching a show. He glared at He Chen: “Still standing there watching? Clear out! Give Fang Yifan space to breathe!”

“Let me take a look,” He Chen said. He’d already noticed Fang Yifan was faking it—especially when Huang Zhitao, his goddess, cried out in distress, making Fang Yifan nearly burst into a look of pure ecstasy. Clearly, he had no Jia Baoyu’s fate, yet insisted on pretending to have Jia Baoyu’s illness. He knelt down and brushed his hand lightly over Fang Yifan.

“What are you doing again?” Li Tie reached out to shove He Chen away, but Fang Yifan suddenly jumped up with a “Holy shit!” and knocked Li Tie’s hand aside. The way he bounced around, shouting curses—where was the weakness? Where was the near-collapse?

Li Tie nearly exploded. He rubbed his aching arm, where Fang Yifan’s violent leap had struck him—he understood now.

The teacher isn’t blaming you?

Go to hell!